The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is organized every year by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) for children from the 1st to the 12th Grade in school. The objective of the test is to assess the aptitude and science abilities of students. The NSO is a two level exam: once you qualify for the Level 1, then students have to give the Level 2 exam to get merit rank and rewards. NSO Level 1 is for Grade 1 to 12, while the NSO Level 2 is only for Grade 3 to 12. The NSO is considered to be a prestigious exam and top performers get awards and scholarships.
NSO Exam Dates 2024
Dates for the NSO 2024 Level 1 are:
18th October, 2024; 12th November, 2024; 3rd December, 2024
The results for Level 1 will be announced in January 2025. The Level 2 exam will be in February 2025.
A school can choose on which date it wants to organize the exam as per its convenience. The question paper will be different on all three days. Sometimes, dates might change as we move close to the timeline.
How to Participate in SOF NSO?
Registration of Students
The SOF NSO is open to the students of classes 1 to 12. Prospectus containing the Registration forms are sent to all schools registered with SOF. Schools not registered may also request for a prospectus by sending an e-mail at [email protected] / phone call. Schools must return the registration forms to SOF, duly filled in and complete in all respects by the due date.
Students can register for the NSO through their school. To register for the exam, a student must be studying in an Indian government approved school.
Roll Numbers
The school’s coordinating teacher should fill the School Registration Form (SRF) and Students’ Registration Sheet (SRS) as per the guidelines given & should send it to the SOF office before the due date of submission of forms. SOF will register the applicant school and the students as per the Students’ Registration Sheet (SRS) received from the School. SOF will generate roll numbers for all students.
Foundation will register the applicant school and the students and dispatch question papers and guidelines for conducting the examination. Principals/teachers may please note that any school can be registered as a center for SOF NSO. No fee is required from the institution to become a registered examination center. A minimum of 10 students needs to be registered from each school for SOF NSO.
Details of the Two Levels of NSO
Level 1 Exam:
The first level of the test is organized in the respective schools of the participants during school hours.
(i) The level 1 competition is an objective-type test of 60 minutes duration comprising 35 objective-type (Multiple Choice) questions for class 1 to class 4 and 50 objective-type (Multiple Choice) questions for class 5 to class 12.
(ii) The question paper consists of three sections:
For Class 1 to Class 10
Section-1: Logical Reasoning
Section-2: Science
Section-3: Achievers Section
For Class 11 and Class 12
Section-1: Physics/Chemistry
Section-2: Achievers Section
Section-3: Mathematics/Biology
(iii) There are separate question papers for each date of Exam.
(iv) The medium of the test is English.
(v) CBSE, ICSE/ISC and State Board syllabi are followed for setting the test papers.
(vi) The exam is conducted during school hours.
Level 2 Exam:
The level 2 is conducted for students of class 3 to class 12. The qualifiers to second round would include the following:
- Top 5% of candidates, class wise, who appear in the 1st level exam. In case of a tie of marks, due weightage to marks scored in different sections will be given. Each section is accorded separate weightage.
- Top 25 rank holders class wise & Zone wise.
- Class topper where at least 10 students from a class appear in the exam & scores 50% qualifying marks. In case registration is received section wise, top rank holders, irrespective of section will qualify for the 2nd level. For section wise registrations, the winner(s) of gold medal may not necessarily qualify for the second level.
To know more about the NSO, visit the official SOM website.
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